MEDIA RESOURCES CONTACT: communications@mail.cox.smu.edu Andrea Hugg (214)768-4474 OR Ally Phillips (214)768-9747 DATE: January 14, 2005 SENDS ENTIRE MBA CLASS ON GLOBAL TOUR (Dallas) Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business will launch the American Airlines Global Leadership Program in April 2000. This program is unique to the Cox School. No other business school has ever offered an intensive three-week global program to an entire MBA class. There is no charge to students for participation in this mandatory program. All first-year MBA students will be sent for two weeks to one of three regions: Asia (Taiwan, Japan, China), Europe (Germany, Hungary, U.K., and Belgium), or Latin America (Chile, Brazil, and Mexico). Students will meet with executives, managers, and government representatives. They will compare both industries and functions across regions. All three groups will have similar schedules that typically will include visits to two companies per day. (A complete list of participating corporations and institutions is attached with this release.) Lunches, dinners, and one-on-one meetings with executives from these organizations have been scheduled to allow for even greater access and exposure to the business community in each country. Cultural tours and meetings with government agencies have also been intermingled in the schedules. Following their return, the students will participate in a symposium to share observations with the Dallas business community and the Cox School. They will deliver reports on doing business in each geographical region focused on major functional areas: finance, human resources, marketing, operations, information systems, and research and development. In the months preceding their trip the students participated in monthly orientation sessions with foreign consular representatives, global corporate representatives, government officials, and university experts. They developed extensive Web sites with research data on each country. They will spend several days immediately preceding the trip in concentrated preparatory sessions. American Airlines has committed to funding this program for the next three years. This gift is valued at over $1 million. Commenting on the gift, Cox School Dean Albert Niemi said, "This gift will allow us to provide an extraordinary global experience for our students, enabling them to learn far more about international business than they can in the classroom. The American Airlines gift represents a tremendous expression of support for SMU and the Cox School." The seeds of this innovative immersion program were planted 15 years ago when Niemi spent two weeks in Japan visiting businesses and meeting with workers and executives. During those two intense weeks, he had many experiences that altered his own views on global economics and influenced his teaching on that subject. The dean describes this trip as "life-changing" and an opportunity that he now wants to offer to Cox students. "This kind of global experience will give our students the knowledge and perspective employers look for and leaders need. The dynamics of globalization can only be comprehended through experience." Niemi says. PARTICIPATING GLOBAL CORPORATIONS - ASIA: Acer, The Associates, Baosteel, Cathay Life, Citibank, CMC, Coca-Cola, General Motors, Goldman Sachs, Intel, Ito-Yokado, JETRO, KAO, KG Telecom, Motorola, NTT, Shanghai Bell, Shanghai Stock Exchange, Hsingchu Science-based Industrial Park, SONY, Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC), TEDA, Texas Instruments. LATIN AMERICA: ABN AMRO, AFP, Banco Central de Chile, Banco de Santiago, Banorte, BMV, Bovespa, CMPC, Coca-Cola, Codelco, Daimeler Chrysler, Embraer, FEMSA, Grupo Alfa, Grupo Imsa, Grupo Vitro, Lojas Renner (JC Penney) Petrobras, Rede Globo, SOFOFA, Telefonica. EUROPE: Alcoa, BASF, British Telecom, Coca-Cola, Commerz Bank, Daimler Chrysler, Das Werk, Essen, European Union Commission, European Union Parliament, GE, Goldman Sachs, Halifax, Jones Day, KPMG, Marks and Spencer, MATAV, MOL, NATO.